


Three Reasons To Keep A Secret

by FullmetalDude1



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Bring exposed by your little shit partners, Canon-Typical Violence, Crying, Duelling, Embarrassment, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mind Control, Mutual Pining, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Romantic Soulmates, Soul Bond, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-13
Updated: 2019-04-13
Packaged: 2020-01-12 22:31:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18455927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FullmetalDude1/pseuds/FullmetalDude1
Summary: Takeru Homura wrote to his soulmate everyday.Yusaku Fujiki in his never ending quest to avoid attention, doesn’t reply.But fate has a funny way of ensuring people find each other, eventually.





	Three Reasons To Keep A Secret

Having a soulmate was considered rare these days. Before the rise of technology, it was common for people to have some special someone, waiting for them somewhere on this Earth, the only way for them to talk being through the marks they made on each other’s skin.

Scientists theorized this odd, yet magical method of communication came from the human race being a social species, one that needed that communication to function. But technology’s advancement made communication easier and soulmates rarer.

This was why Yusaku Fujiki never wrote on his arm, no matter how many times he’d seen scribbles on it he’d never put there.

1) Being identified as having a soulmate would draw attention to himself that he truly isn’t interested in.

2) Corresponding with the person on the other end would just get them involved in his troubled and revenge focused life after the Incident.

3) The words on his arm were often the discouraged words of someone with a world of problems he didn’t know how to solve and would only make worse.

So Yusaku wore his sleeves long and not even Kusanagi knew about it.

* * *

But Takeru Homura always held out the hope he’d get a reply.

He remembers watching his parents adoring their arms with red hearts and blue flowers, even when they were in the same room. They always told Takeru how precious that bond between them was. He hoped he’d get to have a soulmate too one day.

So every day he wrote on his arm, a giggle on his lips as he hoped to get a reply one day.

After the Lost Incident, he almost gave it up. How could his soulmate want someone so apathetic, so broken and rough, in their life? If they existed at all, even.

But then he’d remember his parents’ arms adored with green leafs and yellow sunflowers and he’d draw. He’d write too, but he wasn’t very good at it.

He practiced every day though. Maybe because he missed his parents. Maybe because he wanted a soulmate so badly. Maybe because he was deluding himself. He didn’t know. He didn’t care.

Until him. Playmaker.

Seeing those bright green eyes sparked something deep inside him and suddenly, he was alive. Takeru was alive, crackling, sizzling, burning wild and he knew he could do that too. He could become a hero. He could protect people. He could be worthy of his soulmate.

So he grabbed a pen, a bag and headed for Den City.

* * *

Where Yusaku felt nerves spike down his back and butterflies fill his stomach as his soulmate spoke to him of how Playmaker inspired him and how he was going to meet him. Yusaku can’t remember his soulmate being this excited for something since before the Incident, this happy, this chatty and eager.

Yusaku was different after the Tower of Hanoi fell and he rose from the ashes. He wasn’t angry and spiteful. He was going to grasp the future with his own hands and forge it into whatever it needed to be. Maybe even a life with his soulmate.

Who he honestly hoped to God was kidding about finding Playmaker because he was suddenly anxious of every person he met coincidentally being the person he was somehow linked to.

But the funny thing about fate is that you can’t escape it forever.

Which is why, the second he and Takeru Homura met face to face, he almost wanted to punch him. Except he didn’t, not really. Not even a little bit.

Because somehow being with this boy just felt _right_.

It was easier to breathe, easier to talk, easier to find his energy and work whenever Takeru was around. That firey soul bled into him through their bond and made Yusaku all the more productive.

He ended up checking up on Takeru more than he should really, just being together helping their bodies become attuned to the other’s needs. He’d thrown more hotdogs on the grill for the two of them and drank more water whenever he noticed Takeru needing one or the other. It was confusing to get his own needs and urges so tangled with Takeru’s, but. It was also nice. Comforting to have Takeru at his back, apple juice in hand or dragging him away from the computer when he’d only just been hit by how hungry he actually is.

Yusaku was surprised Takeru hadn’t started putting together why they worked so well.

* * *

Because Takeru, good of a Duelist as he is, is still human and humans are oblivious to many things. Such as his own elevated happiness whenever he’s in Yusaku’s presence.

It was easy to explain away as him just being excited to be working with Playmaker, his hero, his spark, his drive. Yusaku was quieter than Playmaker, but his hard work and soft gaze still left Takeru a little breathless with how beautiful he was.

Takeru ended up writing to his soulmate a lot about Playmaker, though he never mentioned his real name. He sometimes asked his soulmate if he wanted to meet Playmaker too, or if he should ask his secret identity personal questions. Takeru noticed a little sizzle of happiness he felt at random intervals where it’s likely his soulmate is reading them. But he’s never experienced shared emotions from his soulmate before. This can only mean one thing: his soulmate is in Den City.

He needs to tell Yusaku and Kusanagi about his soulmate bond.

When Takeru tells them, Kusanagi acts shocked, then beams so wide and pats him on the back, “Good luck in finding them man, you deserve it!”

Ai giggles and glances at Takeru’s arm, “I don’t think you should’ve spilled all our secrets to them though.”

Takeru has the decency to blush at least and Yusaku-

* * *

Yusaku holds back the small fire burning in his chest, begging to show his soulmate the truth through their arms and gives a small nod, “Congratulations.”

Then turns right back to work and gets his fingers busy with hacking before they decide to unbutton the ones high on his wrist that keep his secret hidden.

Yusaku can’t show them. For three reasons.

1) It may make Takeru feel like he has to begin a romantic, soulmate relationship which could distract them from the war with Lightning.

2) That would require revealing to Kusanagi and he’d rather not be outed as someone who keeps secrets even from them, breeding distrust in their team.

3) If Yusaku told them, the secret may come out to the officials, who prefer to have files on the people who have soulmates. He doesn’t need any attention being drawn to him.

So he focuses on the war and on getting Jin back while fighting alongside their small team. He wasn’t anticipating Blue Maiden joining their forces, but she’s a welcome member of the team. He never thought they’d be separated in Mirror Link Vrains. He never thought he’d have to fight Kusanagi. Playmaker never anticipated being challenged while Bohman was fighting Soulburner and losing either.

Soulburner and Revolver saw him lose as Bohman was finally put away.

* * *

 Soulburner screamed as he watched Playmaker fall apart into kilobits and Lightning absorb them. His rage in the face of Bohman came back like a poorly smothered wild fire and suddenly, he was on his board, racing towards the Area Playmaker had been and ready to rip Lightening apart, kilobyte by kilobyte.

Except he didn’t make it that far. Not when someone on a D-Board raced by him, grabbed his arm and pulled them towards the sky. Soulburner was seeing red, enough to make him almost miss identify who had him. But there was no way-

“Playmaker?!”

At the call of his name, Playmaker let go of his arm. He turned around, revealing dead eyes and a terrifying smile, teeth bared like a cornered animal.

Something was wrong.

“Duel me, Soulburner.” This, thing, sounded just like Playmaker if not for the giggle it let out at the end, “Lighting-sama wants your Ignis and your data to make an improved Bohman.”

His rage shorted out, like a candle in a jar that’s just been closed, no more oxygen left to feed the fire.

“Ai!” Flame shouted, cutting through the white noise in his head, “What’s wrong with you?!”

Soulburner looked at Playmaker’s Duel Disk and saw Ai chained up by white ropes, struggling and groaning, “Lightening tried to steal me and Playmaker, but I managed to put a fail safe in place. It wasn’t enough to stop him from implanting an AI that works for him into Playmaker’s programming! He’s trying to take me back and I’m trying not to let him, but I can’t hold out forever! Soulburner!” Ai shouted, tears in his eyes, “Hurry and defeat him!”

Soulburner’s throat tightened up, “But I-“

“We must not waver, Soulburner!” Flame called out, looking up at him, “We must win in order to save Playmaker and Jin! This is the only way!”

Soulburner stares at Playmaker, who lets out that disturbing giggle, making him flinch, “Are you frightened of me, Soulburner? Don’t be. Soon enough you’ll be just like me and we’ll be together forever! Serving Lightening-sama as he destroys the humans! Fun?!”

Soulburner tries to summon the rage in his chest, but all he finds are embers that barely warm his heart. But he has to, “We’ll Duel.”

Playmaker giggles and races off, “Catch me if you can, Soulburner!”

Soulburner takes off after him.

“ **Speed Duel!** ”

* * *

 It’s not any easy match. Playmaker, or rather the AI controlling him, has been programmed with with all his strategies and some new ones that leave him tumbling. Soulburner can barely keep up with the Duel, the embers in his heart growing colder with each unsuccessful turn.

In the end, it takes Flame reminding him of his feelings for Playmaker (the slowly growing romantic ones that he’d kept hidden, feeling as if he was betraying his soulmate with them) to get him to finally pull it together and bust out a move that wins him the Duel.

Something ugly and pink screams as Ai ejects it from Playmaker and Soulburner catches him after his unconscious body slipped off his D-Board.

Soulburner’s screaming for Playmaker finally gets his eyes to flutter open, no longer looking dead.

Playmaker looks up at him, “Soulburner...”

“Are you okay?” Soulburner sets them on a floating island and lets Playmaker stand.

Playmaker stumbles, eyes slowly widening as he stares at Soulburner, “I lost.”

And suddenly, Soulburner is reminded of Go’s words. Everyone loses.

But this is something else for Playmaker. He’s trembling like he can remember the shocks that send them flying into walls when they lost their Duels. He’s remembering his hunger pangs and the fear of dying as he lost again and again, until he started to win and was able to eat again.

Soulburner does the only thing he can think of to remind him he’s not there.

He hugs Playmaker as tight as he can, rubbing into his trembling shoulders, “Yes. But it’s not over yet.” Soulburner runs his fingers through Playmaker’s hair, who’s gone a little stiff, “Losing hurts, but it’s not the end. What we do next decides if it’s the end.” Playmaker trembles some more as Soulburner hides his face in his neck, “You are strong. Strong enough to beat the Hanoi. Strong enough to survive the Duel with Kusanagi. Strong enough to save me.” Soulburner tightens his arms around Playmaker, “Together, **we** are strong enough to defeat Lightning. A loss doesn’t change anything.”

Playmaker seems frozen.

Then he trembles some more, sobs wrecking his body. Soulburner just holds him tighter, swaying them slightly. He plants a kiss on Playmaker’s forehead, not thinking as he rubs into his back.

Playmaker takes in a deep breathe, then lets it out slowly. He looks up at Soulburner, who is suddenly burning alive with how badly he wants to kiss him and take Playmaker far away from here, defeat these demons and take back the others. But he can’t because Playmaker is nodding as he looks up at him.

“We are stronger together. Let’s go.” Playmaker looks like he’s beginning to regain his footing.

Soulburner nods and smiles, letting his arms fall and stepping back onto his D-Board, “Yeah. Lightening won’t know what hit him.”

Playmaker climbs his own board and they take to the sky.

* * *

They find Lightening as Revolver is being turned into kilobytes and the ugly pink thing returns to Lightening, begging for a second chance. Lightening isn’t so generous though and absorbs it. Then he duplicates himself and Jin to take on Playmaker and Soulburner in a Tag Duel.

It’s the hardest Duel Playmaker and Soulburner have ever faced. Both Lightenings play mind games that throw both of them off, from reminding them how easily he took down Playmaker to how powerless Soulburner had been to stop them. It gets messy fast and both of them make mistakes. But they have Flame and Ai to remind them that they’re more than just one loss and can’t be blamed for the actions of others. They also have each other and that turns out to be what they needed to win this.

When Lightening summoned a thought impossible Link 5 Monster, it looked like they were on the ropes. Ai and Flame managed to summon a Data Storm strong enough for Yusaku to use his skill to pull out the miracle they needed. And Soulburner used his Burning Draw to get them the card they needed to summon the monster.

It was a Link 5 Monster that required a Salamangreat and a Cybervse to be summoned. Heatleo (reincarnated) and Firewall Dragon went into the Link Markers to summon a creature that looked like a fusion of the two beasts. It’s effect destroyed Judgement Arrows for good and let them cut down the rest of the two Lightening’s life points.

They’d won.

* * *

 Mirror Link Vrains started falling apart and their defeated allies appeared in the ashes. The rest of the Ignis were revived and when they logged out, Kusanagi was waiting for them.

Takeru watched as Yusaku ran into Kusanagi’s arms, crying and screaming in a way he’d never seen him do before. But he wasn’t going to say anything because he followed behind, hugging Yusaku and Kusanagi, who was in tears himself. Takeru was crying too.

10 minutes into their sob fest, Jin’s hospital rang to say he had regained consciousness and was asking for his brother and his friends. They drove the truck there and watched as the brothers sobbed into one another’s shoulders, Jin apologizing and Kusanagi reminding him it wasn’t his fault.

Yusaku leaned against Takeru’s side and his heart fluttered when Yusaku whispered in his ear, “Thank you for saving me.”

“I’d do it any time, Yusaku.” Takeru did his best to fight down his blush, when an idea struck him, “Shoot!” He pulled back his sleeve, pulled a pen from his pocket, “Need to tell my soulmate I’m okay.”

Yusaku stared at him in bewilderment as he prepared to write, then pulled back his own sleeves. Takeru wasn’t paying much attention though, writing:

_We’re all okay! Lightening can’t hurt anyone again!_

Takeru rolled his sleeve back up and looked at Yusaku-

Who shoved his arm into his face.

Takeru has to blink a few times before he saw his own hand writing staring back at him.

He gasped as he turned his eyes on Yusaku, who looked like a barely held together mess, “Wha-“

“I had three reasons why I couldn’t tell anyone. 1) I couldn’t draw attention to myself. 2) I had lives to save and thought I’d get distracted if I persuaded a relationship with my soulmate. 3) I didn’t want you or Kusanagi to think less of me for hiding this.” Yusaku bowed low, “I’m sorry.”

Takeru stared at Yusaku in shock, his brain completely frozen, as if waiting for a reload. Yusaku remained silent and the Kusanagi brothers were staring at them, he knew it.

Flame materialized from his Duel Disk, “I suppose you no longer need to feel guilty for your crush on him, Takeru.”

Takeru yelps, “FLAME!”

Ai hums in joy as he also materializes, “Awww, so Yusaku wasn’t the only one who felt silly for having a crush!”

“AI!” Yusaku stood up, face beat red.

“I will admit, I was getting a bit annoyed. I couldn’t comprehend why he didn’t tell Yusaku he liked his eyes.” Flame hums.

“Right?! Yusaku wanted to play with Takeru’s hair, I remember him mumbling about it in his sleep!” Ai cooes.

Takeru whimpers, “Is there any way to turn them off?!”

Yusaku groans, “Not anymore.”

“Don’t be embarrassed Yusaku-chan!” Ai cackles, “You can tell Takeru how much you wanted to spend time with him now that he knows you love-“

Yusaku actually takes off his Duel Disk and throws it. Ai screams for a bit until he gets the flying function working. He chuckles while Yusaku fumes.

Flame sighs, “Ai if you tease him too much they’ll never get to arrange a sleep over like Takeru wanted-“

Takeru screams and tries to muffle his Duel Disk with his hands, covering up the display screen, red from his ears to his collar bones.

Kusanagi sighs, scratching his head, “Guys is this really the impression you want to give Jin?”

Jin laughs softly, “It’s okay. It’s nice to see things lively here for once.”

Kusanagi groans, “Now I’m embarrassed for their sakes.”

Jin, Ai and Flame laugh while the infamous Heroes of Link Vrains struggle to look at each other without turning even more red, leaving Kusanagi smiling semi annoyed, semi fondly at them.

**Author's Note:**

> Share on Pillowfort https://www.pillowfort.io/posts/593850


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